Nightmare

The visit with his family went just how Tim expected. His mother fussed over him, asking him every five minutes if he was in any pain or uncomfortable at all, his father saying little to nothing, and Sarah just beaming at the knowledge that her brother was awake and alive. There were a few updates given on the family's condition—Sarah's schoolwork, his mom's latest adventures with her new job at the local high school where they lived in California, and a small piece about Commander McGee's activities as of late—and then the family decided to let Tim rest, promising to return the following day.

That night Tim had a troubling dream. It wasn't so bad at first. He was standing in the middle of a field of flowers, each a different color, shape, and size. The sky above was a clear blue with a scattering of clouds. A slight breeze tousled his hair and he breathed in deep while closing his eyes. There was a combination of smells; flowers, fresh air, damp dirt, and something else. It took him a moment or two but he recognized it as the ocean.

His eyes opened and he was transported to a beach. The water was relatively calm and beside him was a starfish. It was the starfish that struck him most. He wasn't sure why, but there was something familiar about it, as if he'd seen it somewhere, which in all honestly was strange since he'd probably seen a hundred starfish in his life. But there was something about this one, something that left him unsettled.

The scene changed again and he was in the middle of a green field, another familiarity. Where was this? Had he been here before? Quick as a flash the scene changed again. He was in the kitchen of an unknown house, pictures on the wall and two plates of mac and cheese on the table. Sitting there, watching him with a smile, was Kate. Before he could speak however she faded away and he found himself once again in the field of flowers.

While the scene was a beautiful one to be sure, the sudden change of, well, everything, made him uneasy and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest as his stomach churned over and over. He was confused, the scene was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, and he looked around trying to find some semblance of normalcy that he could latch onto.

Then it came and Tim breathed a sigh of relief. It was his team—Gibbs, Abby, Ducky, Tony, Ziva—they were all standing in front of him smiling. He smiled back, relieved that they were there.

"Guys," he said as he walked towards them. "I'm so glad you're here."

He was nearly to them when their faces changed from joy to sorrow and he stopped in his tracks, the dread from before returning. They seemed to be looking behind him and he turned to see Mullen, staring at him with a malicious grin on his face.

The ground beneath his feet dropped out from under him. The green field, his friends, they were gone, replaced by black. He was falling.

With a jolt he sat up, waking from the dream. The movement had been a bad idea and Tim felt stinging, burning pain radiate throughout his body. He cried out, unable to contain it. Tears came to his eyes as the pain continued and his body shook with sobs. The sobs however only made the pain grow worse and they quickly became screams.

He didn't know what to do, how to make it stop. For a few moments he forgot where he was, how he'd come to be there. He felt firm hands holding him down, trying to keep him from moving and his instinct told him to fight back. He pulled free from the grip and tried to swing at the owner but found himself being restrained once more.

"Agent McGee!" Someone was yelling at him, trying to get his attention. "Tim!"

Somehow he was able to gather his senses enough to look around and see. He was in a hospital room, there was a man beside him with blonde hair and glasses. Dr. Harris, Tim knew that. On the other side of him was an orderly, about Tony's size, restraining him while a nurse stood by injecting something into an IV.

"Tim," Dr. Harris said. "It's alright, you're at the hospital, you're safe."

As everything started coming back to him, exhaustion overcame him. He wasn't sure if it was from the sedatives he knew the nurse had just given him, or if it was from what had just happened. Either way, he laid back in his pillows and felt his eyelids get heavier until he couldn't stay awake any longer.

Before he lost all consciousness however, he saw an image of a young woman, standing beside him in a white dress, her golden hair framing her face.

Lissy...